2006年VOA标准英语-Wind Power Grows as Alternative US Energy

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
01 March 2006

 
Windmills in California
  
Windmills are sprouting¹ across the United States, as Americans search for non-polluting alternative energy sources. The West Coast state of California is the U.S. leader in wind power.

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Wind turbines dot hillsides in several parts of the state, including Tehachapi, in the desert northeast of Los Angeles.

Lee Brace² of G.E. Energy stands beneath a slow-spinning propeller³, attached to a wind turbine that his company is testing. "The larger the blade, it seems the slower they move. You're looking at 58 meter blades, and there are three of them on top of the tower there, about 240 feet up in the air," he said.

The tower is 75 meters tall, and atop it is a one-point-five megawatt turbine, which provides enough power for 500 houses.

More than 4,000 wind turbines dot these desert hillsides. Some date from the 1980s and are just a fraction of the size and output of this model.
 

Michael Burns  
  
Down the road, Oak Creek⁴ Energy Systems operates 200 turbines, including another massive one-point-five megawatt test model. Michael Burns sits in front of a bank of computer monitors, which use color codes to track the temperature and status of the windmills. "The green ones are on line. If it's white, it means the turbine is off. Everything is all right on it but in the United States, but 16 other states, from North Dakota to Kansas, have greater potential, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Texas now ranks number two in wind production for the country.
 
 
Linda White
  
But the association says the source remains⁵ largely untapped, providing less than one percent of U.S. electrical generation. Denmark, by contrast, gets 20 percent of its power from the wind. Linda White of the Kern Wind Energy Association, based in Tehachapi, says alternative energy sources can supplement dwindling⁶ supplies of coal, oil and natural gas, which provide most U.S. electrical generation. "As long as the wind is there, the water is there or the sun is there, we will have those renewable resources. And I think if we were to have much more of a mix or put more sustainable or alternative energy sources within our current mix, it will extend the life of those finite fuels," she said.
 

Ed Duggan  
  
Government incentives⁷ in places like California are promoting the use of renewable energy sources. Ed Duggan of Oak Creek Energy Systems says, with better planning, utility companies can make more efficient use of available energy. "Maybe on a windy day, you hold the water behind the dam and save that energy for the days that the wind doesn't blow. Or maybe you keep your gas-fired generator⁸ turned off on a windy day, but you run it on a hot day when all the air conditioners are on in Los Angeles."

The industry still has work to convince Americans of the virtues⁹ of wind power. Some residents complain the large towers are unsightly, and environmentalists have criticized the windmills as dangerous to birds. This is more of a problem at another site in Northern California, which is on a migration¹⁰ route. In response to complaints, owners have agreed to a temporary shutdown of some of that area's wind turbines during this year's winter migration.

1 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

2 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

3 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

7 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

9 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

10 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。